-DATE-
19720622
-YEAR-
1972
-DOCUMENT_TYPE-
REPORT
-AUTHOR-
F. CASTRO
-HEADLINE-
CASTRO AWARDED DOCTORATE AT CHARLES UNIVERSITY
-PLACE-
CZECHOSLOVAKIA
-SOURCE-
PRAGUE CTK INTL SVC
-REPORT_NBR-
FBIS
-REPORT_DATE-
19720623
-TEXT-
Castro Awarded Doctorate

Prague CTK International Service in English 1700 GMT 22 Jun 72 L

[Text] Prague June 22 CETEKA--Fidel Castro, first secretary of the Cuban
Communist Party Cental Committee and premier, received here today the
honorary degree of Doctor of Jurisprudence of Charles University.

Speaking in the ceremony, Professor Dr Zdenek Ceska, dean of the Faculty of
Law of Charles University, said that Fidel Castro is a recognized
politician who made a significant contribution to the reinforcement of the
world community of socialist countries.

"He is an enthusiastic and consistent fighter against imperialism and
colonialism in all their evident as well as concealed forms. We welcome him
with pleasure in socialist Czechoslovakia. His visit tempers the
long-lasting Cuban-Czechoslovak friendship and all-round cooperation for
which he has personal merits.

"Dr Fidel Castro is a prominent personality of contemporary world, a (?man
with) a wide outlook and remarkable revolutionary energy. He belongs to
statesmen with great merits for the development of socialism and world
progress," Dr Ceska said.

Dr Zdenek Ceska stressed Fidel Castro's contribution to the national
liberation struggle of oppressed nations and cooperation of all progressive
forces.

Speaking on the occasion of awarding the honorary degree of Doctor of
Jurisprudence of Charles University to Castro, the dean of Faculty of Law
reviewed Castro's career of a revolutionary and recalled his famous speech
(?before) the Batista tribunal.

Ceska stressed Castro's merit in the success of the revolution in Cuba
which had in a historically short period laid down socialist aims.

"In the 13 years which have passed since the revolutionary power was
installed, the Cuban people, led by Fidel Castro, have done a great deal in
building up socialism. The new socialist state had successfully combatted
the forces of internal counter-revolution and repelled the arts of
intervention by American imperialism" Ceska pointed out.

He added that "Cuba has become part of the world socialist system, an
outpost of socialism on the Western Hemisphere, a country whose social
system strongly influences the development in other countries, especially
in Latin America."

The ceremony at which Cuban Premier Fidel Castro was awarded an honorary
degree by Charles University today was attended by Gustav Husak, general
secretary of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, Premier Lubomir
Strougal and other members of the Czechoslovak Communist Party Presidium.

There were also many other communist party, government, parliamentary and
other representatives.

Charles University Rector Bedrich Svestka expressed pleasure that the
University is conferring an honorary degree of Doctor of Jurisprudence on
such an outstanding personality.

The speech of Fidel Castro, which followed, was strongly applauded by the
audiences and he was greeted enthusiastically by crowds of Prague citizens
as he was leaving the Carolinum, the 14th century original building of
Charles University.
-END-